How To Use This E-Book
Getting Around the e-Book
This Pocket Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration and planning advice for your visit to Florence, and is also the perfect on-the-ground companion for your trip.
The guide begins with our selection of Top 10 Attractions, plus a Perfect Itinerary feature to help you plan unmissable experiences. The Introduction and History chapters paint a vivid cultural portrait of Florence, and the Where to Go chapter gives a complete guide to all the sights worth visiting. You will find ideas for activities in the What to Do section, while the Eating Out chapter describes the local cuisine and gives listings of the best restaurants. The Travel Tips offer practical information to help you plan your trip. Finally, there are carefully selected hotel listings.
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights in Florence are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map], tap once to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
Youll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Florence. Simply double-tap an image to see it in full-screen.
About Insight Guides
Insight Guides have more than 40 years experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.
Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.
2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd
Table of Contents
Florences Top 10 Attractions
Top Attraction #1
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Santa Croce
This glorious church is full of artistic treasures. For more information, .
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Top Attraction #2
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Palazzo Pitti and Giardino di Boboli
A sumptuous palace and delightful pleasure-garden that once belonged to the Medicis. For more information, ..
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Top Attraction #3
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The Duomo
Brunelleschis magnificent dome towers above the city; equally impressive is Giottos graceful campanile. For more information, .
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Top Attraction #4
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The Accademia
The gallerys star exhibit is Michelangelos David, perhaps the most famous piece of sculpture in the Western world. For more information, .
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Top Attraction #5
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Ponte Vecchio
The beautiful medieval bridge still retains the small shops of its artisans. For more information, .
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Top Attraction #6
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The Uffizi
Home to the worlds greatest collection of Italian Renaissance paintings. For more information, .
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Top Attraction #7
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Santa Maria Novella
The cavernous church was designed by Dominican architects in the mid-13th century. For more information, .
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Top Attraction #8
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San Marco
The frescoed dormitory of the monastery is the location of some of Fra Angelicos finest works. For more information, .
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Top Attraction #9
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San Lorenzo
The first Renaissance church and home to the glorious Medici Chapels. For more information, .
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Top Attraction #10
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Cappella Brancacci
The site of Masaccios sublime frescoes. For more information, .
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A Perfect Day In Florence
9.00am
Breakfast
Start your day with a cappuccino and cornetto at Caff Scudieri on the Piazza di San Giovanni (19r). This smart, long-established caf/ pasticceria is right in the heart of Florence, in the pedestrianised Piazza.
10.00am
The Duomo
Amble around the Piazza, admiring the Baptistery, Campanile (bell tower) and the iconic Duomo (cathedral). Those with stamina can tackle the 463 stairs spiralling to the top of the cathedrals dome to admire Brunelleschis engineering genius and the fabulous views.
11.30am
Via deTornabuoni
Take the Via Roma south of the Baptistery for Piazza della Repubblica, home to some of the citys most elegant cafs. Cross the square for Via Strozzi and at the end turn left onto Via de Tornabuoni for the lavish flagship stores of Armani, Gucci and Prada, to name just a few.